Apparently Sprint didn't understand the meaning of the words "Do Not Call," and now it's got to pay the piper - and by that I mean the U.S. Treasury, in the amount of $7.5 million.

The FCC laid down a heavy fine on the wireless carrier after an investigation concluded Sprint violated consumers' privacy. The settlement is the largest Do-Not-Call payout ever, and goes hand-in-hand with several other stipulations to ensure that Sprint won't make the same mistake again. In addition to the fine, Sprint must:

Develop and put into action a robust compliance plan designed, among other things, to help ensure future compliance with the FCC’s rules requiring companies to maintain internal Do-Not-Call lists and honor consumers’ requests;

Develop operating procedures and policies specifically designed to ensure that Sprint’s operations comply with all company-specific Do-Not-Call rules;

Designate a senior corporate manager as a Compliance Officer to ensure that Sprint complies with the terms and conditions of the compliance plan and the consent decree;

Implement a training program to ensure that Sprint employees and contractors are properly trained how to record consumers’ Do-Not-Call requests so that the company removes their names and numbers from marketing lists;

Report to the FCC any noncompliance with respect to consumers’ Do-Not-Call requests; and File with the FCC an initial compliance report within 90 days and annual reports for two years.